Production begins on Runt film adaptation
Craig Silvey has announced that production of the feature film adaptation of his novel Runt (A&U) begins next week in Western Australia, ‘where the Wheatbelt shire of York will be transformed into the town of Upson Downs.’
The film follows Annie Shearer and dog Runt as they try to save their family’s farm from drought and hardship by winning the Agility Course Championship at the Krumpets Dog Show in London.
The character of Annie will be played by Lily LaTorre, who recently starred in the 2023 Australian film Run Rabbit Run. Her brother, Jack LaTorre, will play her on-screen brother, Max Shearer. Silvey described both actors as ‘wonderful, brilliant’ and ‘gobsmackingly talented’.
Runt will be played by a rescue dog called Squid. Silvey said, ‘She was discovered by our amazing animal department and has since been adopted into the most beautiful, caring home whilst being trained for the role of her lifetime.’
Actor Deborah Mailman is set to play the ‘enigmatic’ Bernadette Box and Jack Thompson will play the ‘villainous’ Earl Robert-Barren. The character Bryan Shearer will be played by Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad, Jack Reacher), while Susie Shearer is played by Celeste Barber (Wellmania, The Letdown). Matt Day plays Fergus Fink, Tom Budge plays Simpkins and Genevieve Lemon plays Dolly Shearer.
The film is directed by John Sheedy, who previously directed H is For Happiness, based on Barry Jonsberg’s YA novel My Life as an Alphabet (A&U). The producer is Jamie Hilton, who produced the adaptation of Tim Winton’s Breath (Penguin). Silvey said Hilton ‘has been Herculean in his efforts, assembling a cohort of unbelievably talented artists and personnel, both human and canine.’
After having the experience of co-writing the screenplay of his novel Jasper Jones (A&U), Silvey has written the screenplay for Runt. Silvey said, ‘I’m deeply proud and utterly delighted that we will be bringing this story to life on screen. I’ll share production stills when I can, and I’ll be making a call-out for extras in the coming weeks for those who want to be involved.’
Screen Australia previously announced that the film is financed in association with Screenwest, Lotterywest and the WA Regional Screen Fund, with support from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) and Screen NSW. StudioCanal is distributing locally and handling international sales.
Left to right: Craig Silvey, Squid and Lily LaTorre.
Category: Local news
